When it comes to eating fruits of American origin, we have multiple options. However, one of the most special for its composition, its properties and its ease of cultivation is the avocado. Below, we present everything you need to know about this fruit, but also a vegetable, which allows you to stay cool in summer.
What is avocado?
Yes, what you read. Avocado is a fruit but it is also a vegetable. Its flavor is exquisite and is very close to that of the hazelnut. Its creamy consistency, but also tend, make it an ideal companion for any type of food. They come from Central America and are planted in what is known as an avocado tree, an evergreen tree that grows especially in tropical climates.
Its shape is close to a pear, although it can also resemble an apple or even a cucumber. It is green, although its tone and texture can vary from one variety to another. Its creamy pulp is responsible for covering a brown seed, which cannot be eaten. In fact, to know that an avocado is ripe and suitable for ingestion when you move the fruit, you should notice how the bone inside moves or gives way slightly when you press it with your fingers.
To accelerate its maturation, it should be wrapped in newspaper and it will reduce in two or three days. If left at room temperature, between 18 and 24 degrees, full maturation will be achieved in just one week. In some cases, only part of the avocado will be consumed. To keep the other half, it should be preserved with lemon, orange, vinegar or tomato juice. On the other hand, if you want to prevent ripening and extend the shelf life, you should put the avocado in the fridge and refrigerate it at around four and six degrees.
Benefits of eating avocado
Eating avocados can have numerous nutritional benefits, which we must mention. The most prominent are the following:
- They are beneficial for sports. The properties that avocado contains are very positive. Its fats are not harmful, and it also helps balance cholesterol levels and improves heart rate, as well as cleanses the blood.
- Helps muscle recovery. After breaking fibers in the gym, we need to ingest a good nutrient that benefits the recovery of the different muscle groups. Avocado is ideal for it.
- Satisfies hunger. Its contribution of soluble and insoluble fibers has the property of slowing down the breakdown of carbohydrates. In this way, it takes away hunger for longer, benefiting any type of diet.
How to grow avocado?
Avocado can be started in late winter or early spring in protected seedbeds. The pit or bone of the avocado will be the seed that will start the crop, and it must be perfectly clean and free of residue. We will make a cut of two centimeters thick in its thinnest part, and this will facilitate germination. On the ground we will place the widest part below, and that narrowest part, which will be the one we have cut, will look up. Without pressing, we will cover the seed with some soil and add water. During the time that germination lasts, we will water and keep the entire part of the seed moist. Germination lasts about 30 days and the seeds should be kept at a temperature of approximately 20 degrees. After a month, the avocado pit will begin to germinate and we will have to take it to the final crop.
However, another way to sprout the avocado is to put the widest part submerged and the part that ends in a point facing up. As it does not have very deep roots, the avocado can also be grown in pots on patios or terraces, with a minimum depth of 50 centimeters. Of course, they must be grown in areas protected from the wind since the flowers, branches and their fruits can be vulnerable and harm the harvest. The soil must have a neutral pH, with good drainage and earthworm homes must be provided. Once a year to strengthen the harvest. It should be planted in areas with good exposure to sunlight, as it is an essential requirement for them to grow properly. In addition, it requires watering on a regular basis but without excesses. Drought can cause leaves to start to drop, while too much water can cause avocados to drop. If not done correctly, fungi can proliferate.
After two or three years, the trees begin to be pruned to remove those damaged branches, or on the other hand, those that are growing too much. Do not forget that an avocado can grow up to 20 meters. All in all, in about five years we will be able to start harvesting avocados. Do not forget that throughout the year, the tree will bear more and better fruits.
